1006 IOWA DEPRATMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



a person desiring to exhibit live stock must necessarily have considera- 

 ble experience in order to compete successfully with men who have 

 been in the show ring lor years. This experience can not well be 

 obtained except by actually bringing stock into the ring, by making 

 a few mistakes at first and by profiting by these mistakes until the 

 business has been learned. It is unnecessary at this time to advance 

 arguments to prove that showing at the fail's is profitable to the exhibi- 

 tor. The fact that our expositions are growing in size and in educa- 

 tional value from year to year is sufficient proof that breeders consider 

 the money expended for exhibition lurposes a good investment. 



The breeder can advertise and keep his name before the public by 

 means of printer's ink, which is all right and which is necessary, but 

 there is nothing like becoming personally acquainted with one's cus- 

 tomers. Aside from this, great live stock exhibitions arouse general 

 interest in good stock. Thousands of men owe their start in pure-bred 

 stock to the fact that at some fair they became convinced of the value 

 of improved blood, when they saw the perfection to which it is possi- 

 ble to bring our domestic animals. To try to interest a man in an 

 article concerning which he has no vivid conception is a difficult mat- 

 ter, but bring that article before nis eyes, show it to him, talk with him 

 about it and he is ordinarily easily convinced of its merits. 



All can not attend our state, national and international shows, and 

 this applies to both breeder and visitors. For this reason we have 

 county fairs. Every man or some member of every family in every 

 agricultural community can afford to attend one or more of our county 

 fairs every year and this should hy all means be done. School teachers 

 have conventions and summer schools for the purpose of keeping in 

 touch with advanced methods of teaching, and for the purpose of gain- 

 ing enthusiasm from each other. A person who works by himself year 

 after year and does not converse with others in his line of business 

 or who does not study the methods of other people, is very apt to get 

 into ruts. What school teachers do, professional and business men 

 also do. They all meet with the purpose of securing each others' views 

 on the subjects of interest to them with the hopes of profiting thereby. 

 Farmers have their institutes where they meet and talk over with each 

 other methods of farming a few days each year during the winter 

 months. Many of these institutes have improved very much during 

 recent years and are doing a great deal of good for the farming com- 

 munities. But only a small per cent of the farmers attend them — a 

 fact that is to be deplored. A much larger per cent is willing to attend 

 fairs because they consider that there are more attractions at them, 

 and to some extent there is. 



There is no opportunity for the exhibition of live stock at farmers' 

 institutes, or at least so far there has been none. The fair has been 

 set aside for this purpose. It is, however, a common thing to hear 

 remarks at county or even at state fairs by farmers something like 

 these: "I have a better bull at home than that one", or I have a 

 cow that has been running in the pasture all summer that looks a 

 great deal better than any of those I see. in the ring". Similar remarks 



